Episode

12/19 Israel & Palestine, & The Politics Of Distraction w/ Peter Beinart

December 19, 2023

It’s News Day Tuesday! But first, Sam and Emma speak with Peter Beinart, editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, author of the Beinart Notebook on SubStack, and professor at the CUNY School of Journalism, to discuss his recent piece entitled “Harvard Is Ignoring Its Own Antisemitism Experts.” First, Sam and Emma run through updates on an upcoming UN Security Council ceasefire vote, the Huthis’ attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes, Biden’s record (low) polling numbers, Google’s monopolies, Rudy’s big mouth, Medicaid, Texan fascism, and the EU’s take-on of Twitter, also touching on the – uh – ‘diverse’ representations of Trump’s agenda between members of the GOP and the actual Donald Trump himself. Peter Beinart then joins, first tackling the evolution of the discourse around Israel’s apartheid state over the last two months, before assessing the particular impact of Hamas’ October 7th attacks in changing that conversation. Continuing, Beinart walks Sam and Emma through the consistent stifling of any non-violence Palestinian resistance movements and how that contrasts with the success of Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s militant actions to affirm the necessity of violence in the resistance, also touching on how this violence alongside the constant violence of the Israeli occupation gives little to no room for “legitimate” political movements to flourish. Next, they step back to look at the US in particular, exploring how, particularly among more conservative and traditional Americans (including Joe Biden), the direct parallels between the founding myths of the US and Israel bring out a passionate defense of settler-colonialism, and how the recentering of colonization and imperialism in a modern-day setting brings into question narratives of the moral arc of progress. After briefly touching on the ongoing divide in the “University” discourse, Beinart, Sam, and Emma look to the statist zionist project in general, exploring the absolute failure of Israel in creating any semblance of a safe space for Jewish people and why the only way to stop a violent anti-apartheid movement is ending apartheid, before they wrap up with an assessment of the Israeli polis, and what the “left” and “right” actually mean in Israel.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma run through some highlights from this weekend’s TPUSA “America Fest,” plus John from San Antonio parses through AIPAC-DMFI’s mass investment against Democratic candidates of color and the future of Biden’s candidacy. They also parse through updates on the joint planning of January 6th between Trump’s administration and conservative organizers, Kaitlan Collins continues her evisceration of Ron Johnson, Israeli politicians show off their dearth of knowledge about their own political situation, and Malcolm at Harvard calls in to discuss his perspective on Harvard’s campus ongoings. They wrap up the fun half with some uplifting content courtesy of America’s Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Eric Adams, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Peter’s work at Jewish Currents here: https://jewishcurrents.org/author/peter-beinart

Check out the Beinart Notebook here: https://peterbeinart.substack.com/

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